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Every body loves them, although I think one is enough — boy are they rich. Barb Gertz at Recipeczar.com has a really good recipe for Lavendar Lemon Bars; they raise the elegance bar (pun intended) a few notches.

Now, mix pasta and dressing. Toss in chicken, bacon. Add 3 c. chopped Romaine lettuce and fresh spinach. Throww in a chopped tomato. Toasted croutons made of good french bread are a good add-in: I toss the cubes with olive oil and bake at a low temp til crisp. This will probably serve 6 people.

My first trip to California was for my brother’s wedding in 1971 (72?).I thought, and still do, that San Diego was a beautiful city: palm trees and oleanders lining the streets, sunshine and lots of fresh fruits and veggies. My sister and I would walk to the corner in the mornings and get a drink called “Orange Julius”: I’m not sure if they had gone national at the time, but I had never heard of it. It was a free-standing open air counter, with baskets of fresh fruit, waiting to be blended with the secret Julius powder into a delicious smoothie. And this was back when a raw egg was offered as a protein-packed optional add-in. No one would reveal the recipe, but I figured this was a pretty close imitation. Good for an afternoon pick-me-up or breakfast in a hurry.

1 cup very cold orange juice

3-4 ice cubes

1/4 c. dry milk powder

2 teaspns vanilla (do not omit this — I think it is the secret ingredient!)

1 Tablespn either honey or powdered sugar (more or less as you like)

Blend it all together and drink it up.

Note: Some times, I use frozen o.j. out of the can, 2-3 Tablespns. concentrate. For the liquid, you can use water or some other kind of juice, such as mango.

You can throw in frozen strawberries instead of the ice cubes.

Yes, I sometime add a raw egg; do this only at your own risk —- salmonella is a danger.. You’ve been warned. Don’t sue me. If you like the idea of egg, use dried meringue powder.

I also sometimes add about 1/4 c. of raw rolled oats. It thickens the whole thing up and adds more protein and fiber.

I was first introduced to chili on spaghetti in the sixth grade. The new girl from school invited me to her house for supper. They had just moved to Winfield from Cleveland, and when her Mom served this, she said they ate chili on spaghetti all the time in Ohio. I’m a Kansas girl and had never heard of chili with anything but crackers. Later in life, I learned that German Mennonites love chili with cinnamon rolls, and lots of other folks eat it with cornbread, which is now our tradition. By the way, the recipe calls for chopped raw onions as a garnish, but if that’s a little too strong, just use sliced green onions.

In a big pot, cook the onions in the oil til soft, about 10 minutes (did i say low heat?). Add the garlic and cook a couple of minutes more. Add meat, raise the heat and cook til the meat is brown, crumble it up as it cooks. Drain grease. Add cocoa and spices; coo and stir for about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and the tomato paste, the vinegar and the honey. Add the beans. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Salt and pepper as you like it. While the chili cooks, boil some water and cook the linguine. (or spaghetti) Serve the chili atop the noodles, garnished with cheese and onions. This ought to serve 6, but maybe just four.

Remember that chili is what you make it; use the seasoning measurements as a starting place. The combination of spices in this chili is characteristic of the Greeks who have a large community in Cincinnati, and from whom i think we get this recipe.